


Hidden Moments

by danny_the_coolest



Series: Written In The Stars [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Multi, but they all happen in the canon of my fic, just little stories with almost no plot, these are extra scenes that don't quite belong inside the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27472993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danny_the_coolest/pseuds/danny_the_coolest
Summary: These are scenes that are canon within my fic 'Written In The Stars' but didn't really fit inside the story so I'm just posting them apart bc it's fun.I won't be updating this often but there will be more parts, I hope you find them interesting :) -Danny
Relationships: Harry Potter/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Written In The Stars [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696750
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. December, 1974

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fourteen-year-old Matthew is a lovesick fool.

Matt had lost count of how many times he'd been caught staring at Emily. He couldn't care less though, Emily was utterly oblivious, and she was too busy staring at James anyway.

He didn't know how it'd happened, maybe it was there since day one, maybe the feeling had started as something else, but all his thoughts were about one Emily Sultens. And okay, maybe a Fourteen-year-old has no idea of what love is, especially one that's been living with a hearthless father, but he knew this was special, she was especial. 

That girl and her big brown eyes, and soft hair that almost looked pitch-black under the moonlight. She was a daydream. Matthew couldn't understand how any of the others were crazy about her, she was driving him mad. In a good way, but it was just as frustrating. 

Remus nudged his arm, a playful grin on his face.

"Honestly Matt, you're embarrassing."

Matthew huffed, lowering his eyes to his parchment. 

"Peter embarrasses all of us on the daily, and no one bats an eye."

"She needs to get a grip on herself too," Remus rolled his eyes. "She's lucky James is too thick to notice."

Matthew lifted his gaze tentatively. Emily was across the room with James and Sirius, the three of them were being obnoxious and loud, the girls were throwing envious looks at her, but she wasn't paying attention. She was focused on James. They were forced to stay in the common room since it was snowing heavily outside, but Matthew was definitely not complaining.

He'd been planning on confessing his feelings for almost two years now, but he was yet to find the right moment to do so. Last Valentine's day (her birthday, mind you) Emily had been fussing about asking James out only to decide against it after witnessing a failed attempt of his to ask Lily Evans. What had Matthew done then? He stayed to keep her company, he'd made her laugh. 

"You're hopeless, mate," Remus sighed. "I'm trying to be wise here, which is not coming easily. You're the sensible one. Emily has been crushing on James since our first year. He's been crushing on Evans for years as well. Lily hates James. James likes Emily. And even though he likes her as a friend, it's more likely that James will end up dating Mily."

"You think I want to be crushing on her?" Matthew frowned. "If I could I would vanish my feelings at once. I hate them. I don't want them– It's stupid."

"But?"

"Look at her!" He said grumpily, vaguely pointing her way. "She's funny and smart... and she's pretty. She's annoyingly pretty."

"She's nice," Remus shrugged. "But she's just a girl."

Matthew glanced at Remus with annoyance. Emily was not _just a girl._

Okay, maybe he was too dramatic. He was a lovesick fool refusing to accept that his crush was common. Remus and Sirius were always teasing him about it, saying that he couldn't hold on to it forever, telling him it would ruin the group. 

Besides, he had to admit that if he wanted, he could go and get a date with someone else in no time. The thing was that he didn't want someone else. He wanted Emily Sultens.

"Boys!" The girl sat down in front of them, bringing him back. "We're planning to sneak out and buy a few butterbeers, an early Christmas party if you will, want to join?"

"If my dad sees me, he'll tell my uncle," Matthew sighed. "It's embarrassing when my own father rats me out..."

"C'mon, we'll stay away from the Hog's Head!" Emily pleaded. "It's not as fun without you!"

"I'm in," Remus pushed his parchment away. "I'm done with Transfiguration."

"Only if James lets me use his cloak. At least while we're in the street... And if you let me buy you a butterbeer."

Remus snorted, but he quickly covered it with a cough.

"Don't be silly, Matt," the girl rolled her eyes, "you should use your money for more useful things– like getting a new quill, yours is falling to pieces."

Matthew blushed, examining his beaten school supplies.

"S'not that bad..." He muttered shyly.

"I'm not judging," Emily reached out to pat his hand. "I'm just saying that you don't have to act like a gentleman with me. We're friends, you don't have to keep the act going."

"Yeah, Matt, stop pretending," Remus teased.

Matthew kicked him under the table.

"All right," He scowled. 

"Brilliant!" Emily turned, the tips of her hair landing softly on her lower back as she ran back to James and Sirius. 

"Buy her a butterbeer?" Remus stared at him with a smirk. "You have no bloody money."

"I know that." 

"You won't get to her by buying her things."

"No, apparently all it takes is a messy hair and glasses," He scoffed. 

"You forgot the part about being a show-off," His friend added. 

"I'm not jealous," He blurted out. "I know I sound like I'm angry. But I'm not."

Remus laughed.

"Sure thing, mate..."

"One day..." He sighed. "You'll see."

He didn't know what he meant by that, or perhaps he meant a lot of things. One day he would confess everything to her, one day she'd see him as more than just a friend. 

He was okay with just being friends now though, they had time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had time to make two specials. They add absolutely nothing to the story but I thought it'd be sweet to show teen Matthew's opinion on his future wife, considering you know very little about him. Next one is centred on Remus and his life as Mel's only uncle. I hope you find them cute :)
> 
> Happy Holidays! <3
> 
> -Danny


	2. July 5th, 1981

It was quiet, this wasn’t how she had pictured her daughter’s first birthday would be. When she was younger, her parents would always throw the biggest parties, that stopped once she went to Hogwarts, but they would always send howlers singing _‘Happy Birthday’_ and she would always die of embarrassment. Now she would give anything to receive one again.

_‘This is not about me’_ , she quickly corrects. ‘ _Today all that matters is that we’re together._

Emily was nervous though, James and Lily were supposed to remain hidden but they had found a way to convince Dumbledore to help them get to Matt and Em’s house so they could celebrate both, Mel and Harry’s first birthday together.

Harry’s birthday was actually way after Mel’s, but is not like they could really be moving places all the time, not when they knew there was so much at stake.

So there she was, nervously waiting for Lily and James to arrive with their son, Matthew and Sirius escorting the family to give extra security.

“Em, if you keep messing with Mel’s ribbon she’ll bite your hand,” Remus warned her calmly. “They’ll be here soon, don’t worry.”

“I don’t worry about them being late,” She said, putting her daughter back in the playpen. “I worry about… you know, the journey.”

“They’ll be fine,” Remus shook his head. “Didn’t Matthew just got promoted to Head Auror?”

“Yes, and if you ask me that’s the biggest nonsense I’ve heard.”

“Is it?” The man raised a brow. “Thought you’d be happy.”

“I am,” Emily brushed it off, “you know this didn’t make Matt happier, every day he talks about murders, accidents… Now I understand why my mother hated so much when my dad would talk about that in front of me.”

“Listen,” Remus stood up and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her rambling. “There’s someone at the back door…”

Emily ran to the kitchen then, she walked in the exact moment James and Lily were taking off the cloak, little Harry clinging to her Mother’s neck.

“Where’s Matt?” Emily asked a bit too frantically.

James let out a short, sarcastic laugh.

“We’re happy to see you too, Mily.”

“Don’t be mean, you’d be asking the same thing if it were me the one who left hours ago to pick up some friends,” Lily scolded him, then she turned back to Emily. “He’s with Sirius making sure no one followed us, they’ll be here in a moment.”

“Okay,” Emily nodded, though she still looked nervous.

“Hey!” Remus walked in, he was holding Mel and the little girl was playing quietly with the hem of his sweater. “Thought you might want to say hello to the birthday girl…”

“Hey there, little Em!” James was the first to stir into action, he quickly made his way over to the baby and stole her from Remus grip. “Blimey, I saw you last week, but I could swear you weren’t this big!”

“She looks so much like you, Em”, Lily smiled, walking over to her husband and holding Harry a bit more closer to his father so the babies could see each other.

“Only on the outside,” Emily shook her head, “She’s all her father, that one. Trust me, she’s so quiet I barely register when she’s around.”

“Give her time, once she learns how to speak you’ll have her giving out orders like the bossy girl she’s destined to be, just like her mother– aren’t you, love?” James smirked, tickling the girl’s belly.

The little girl laughed, Harry’s attention was immediately drawn to the sound and he reached out to touch the girl’s face. Lily pulled him back with a laugh.

“Easy there! We don’t want you fighting like last time”

“Fighting?” Emily asked, her attention abruptly leaving the window and turning to face the young couple. “Matthew never mentioned they fought”.

“Well, that’s cause it’s a baby fight, they don’t count,” James explained.

“Are you talking about the time you and Sirius got mad for a day because you stole his chocolate frog?” Matthew walked in, followed by Sirius. “Cause that sure was childish.”

“Newsflash, asshole. We were _children_ ,” Sirius hit the back of his head. 

Matthew walked straight to the faucet to wash his hands, but just as he was about to start, Emily let out a loud, exasperated breath.

“Matt!” Emily rushed over to her husband and gave him a firm kiss on the cheek, she cupped his face with both hands and examined him carefully, causing him to laugh.

“I left for just an hour love, I’m all right…”

“She knows that! She’s just checking if you finally got some brains inside that huge head of yours,” James teased.

Matthew threw him the cloth he was using to dry his hands and James yelled.

“Hey! I’m holding your daughter!”

“Not anymore!” Sirius quickly took the baby in his arms and started to twirl around the way he knew would make her laugh non-stop. “How’s our little Em doing, huh?”

“She has a name, you know?” Emily said, crossing her arms.

“Right, a name that’s derived from a nickname Matthew gave you in school,” James shrugged. “So it’s the same.”

“Enough, give me my child, Sirius,” Emily huffed.

“No!” Sirius held onto the baby tighter. “This is the first time I see her in weeks, give me a moment.”

“Who knew Sirius would turn out to be such a fan?” Lily laughed. “Never thought I’d see you grow attached to a baby until Mel and Harry were born.”

“Not me, that’s certain,” Sirius raised a brow, his eyes softening at the way Mel would giggle.

“Shall we start the party, then?” Remus asked. “I’m starving.”

“Unexpected,” James snorted.

“Shut up, Prongs.”

Most of the group moved to the living room, Emily stopped James and Lily at the doorframe.

“Sorry for not saying hi,” Emily sighed heavily, “It’s just… waiting has never been my favourite hobby.”

“Tell me about it,” James said, she knew he hated having to stay at home instead of fighting along with his friends, but his family came first and Harry was in danger, Emily was feeling exactly like him, having to stay so she could take care of Mel while Matthew was out…

Emily hugged both of them quickly before guiding them to the living room.

* * *

“Okay, but which one do you think will be the real trouble maker?” Sirius asked the group.

He was sitting on the floor right next to Harry and Mel, who was playing loudly, unaware of what the adults were saying.

“Oh, Harry for sure,” Emily said, at the same time Lily replied _‘Mel, certainly.’_

“What?” They asked at the same time.

“What makes you think my daughter is the right choice?”

“What makes you think my son is?”

“Oh, are you about to fight? Should I take the kids upstairs?”

“Shut up, Sirius!”

“I think you’re both wrong,” James replied. “You think that with a mother like Lily and a father like Matt our children have any chance to misbehave?”

“Oh, you think that with a mother like Emily and a father like you they won’t be tempted to go behind our backs?” Matthew raised a brow. “That’s bollocks.”

“You know, as long as they don’t set their rooms on fire or something, I think we’ll manage,” Lily said with a shrugged.

“What if they start dating?” Sirius asked excitedly.

“I mean, eventually they will–”

“Hold on, who said anything about dating?” Matthew perked up. “My daughter has no reason to be thinking about dates until she’s nineteen, eighteen at best.”

“Shut up, Ruddy, you asked me on a date when we were fifteen.”

“Yeah, and how did that turn out, huh?” Matthew asked pointedly.

“Dunno, with you marrying the girl of your dreams?” Emily teased him.

Matthew’s cheek reddened, a knowing smile on his face.

“Yeah… but that’s not the point! You’re cool with letting some boy take advantage of Mel?”

“Not if we raise her right, no boy will have a chance,” Emily smirked.

“What if it’s Harry?”

“What?”

“What if Harry’s the one who asks Mel on a date?” Remus asked.

A heavy silence fell onto the group, everyone looking at Remus as if he’d said something crazy.

“Oh c’mon,” The young man rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me this is the first time you think about the possibility?”

“You know what?” James said from his seat. “That’s not such a dreadful idea, is it?”

“What?” Matthew’s head turned so fast Emily thought he’d hurt himself.

“Think about it, Ruddy!” James laughed openly. “Are you saying my boy’s not good enough for your baby?”

Matthew opened his mouth and closed it again, he looked at Emily looking for support.

“That’s a lovely idea, actually,” Emily grinned. “We know Harry’s parents already, so that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about!”

“No, that’s exactly the thing that we should worry about,” Matthew raised a brow.

“I could say the same,” Lily said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I still remember that time Emily put blue dye on my juice just because I called her lazy.”

“That doesn’t mean Mel would be the same!” Matthew defended.

“Thanks for that, love,” Emily scoffed.

“What about James?” Sirius offered. “He’ll tell Harry all about our outings and Harry’ll get ideas.”

“Padfoot!”

“Guys, guys,” Remus stopped them, regretting being the one who had caused the argument. “Calm down, this is all just in our heads, there’s no way Mel and Harry will end up together– Merlin, I mean, they’ll grow up like brother and sister!”

“We can take care of that,” James suggested. “You know, just don’t let them get too comfy around each other…”

“If you want them to date shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“Listen, Prongs, no offence but I’m with Remus here, there’s no way my kid will end up falling for your Harry, she’s too smart.”

“She’s a one-year-old baby that can’t eat on her own, what are you talking about?” James argued.

“I bet ten galleons Mel and Harry end up together,” Sirius interrupted.

The group fell silent one more time.

“Ten that they won’t,” Lily said suddenly.

“Evans!” James exclaimed in outrage.

“I’m in!” Emily said. “I’m with Sirius on this one.”

“I’m with Lily,” Matthew replied, giving his wife a look she knew was meant to be challenging.

“Okay then, I’m with Mily and Padfoot,” James huffed. “And you two are nasty traitors, can’t believe you don’t want us to be one big family.”

“We already are, Prongs,” Remus smirked. “Look at these lovely little _siblings_ ,” He pointed to the babies.

“So you’re with Lily, are you?”

“Obviously,” Remus snorted.

“Can’t believe you’re Mel’s Godfather,” Emily said dramatically. “You clearly don’t want what’s best for her.”

“Awwe, thanks, Mily.”

“No problem, James.”

“You two are unbelievable,” Lily rolled her eyes, standing up.

“Where are you going and can I go with you?” Matthew asked, giving his wife a playful, angry look.

“To get a drink, if I have to spend a whole afternoon with Sirius, James and Emily planning my son’s wedding, I won’t do it sobber.”

“Well, Happy Birthday Mel, I guess I just got you a husband!” Sirius chortled.

“Wait for me!” Remus said, quickly following Lily and Matthew to the kitchen.

* * *

“We had a great time, really,” James said, holding a sleeping Harry in his arms.

“Even if your wife revealed she doesn’t want us to be part of the same family?” Emily teased.

“Oh, she’ll end up loving the idea, trust me,” Jame said with a smile, “just wait for them to start school, she’ll be begging us to set them up.”

Emily laughed.

“I’m just teasing, but I mean it though, I know your Harry will be a great boy.”

“I know, and Lily thinks your daughter will grow up to be amazing, you and Matthew are great. And you know Harry adores Mely, Lily sees that.”

“Yeah, well… she’s the only other baby he knows.”

“Not for long though,” James sighed, staring down at his son, a worried, yet hopeful look on his face. “Soon all of this will be over, won’t it, little guy?”

“Let’s go, James!” Lily called from the door. “Harry needs to sleep!”

“Coming!”

When Emily and he arrived, Sirius waited until Lily and Emily said their goodbyes and then covered the Potters with James’ cloak.

“I’ll go with Sirius, you can stay,” Remus assured Matthew when the man started to argue back, their friend shook his head. “ _Stay_. Emily needs you, Sirius and I will make sure James and Lily get home safe, right Paddie?”

“Sure thing,” Sirius winked. “See you next Sunday!”

“Thank you,” Emily held onto her husband’s hand, squeezing lightly. “Thank you for everything.”

“It’s nothing,” Remus brushed it off. “Next year, Mily. You’ll see…”

Next year. It felt so far away, so fragile to be an actual promise. Next year everything could be different, yes. That didn’t mean it’d be better, but it didn’t mean it’d be worse either.

Once they were alone, Matthew and Emily sat on their bed, a sleeping girl between them. Mel hadn’t been sleeping in her own room since Matthew started to watch over the Potters’ house. It gave Emily something to hold onto, Mel was her hope of a brighter future.

“You’re so good to Mel,” Matthew said suddenly, bringing her back from her swirling thoughts. “She… I know it’s hard, I don’t like being away most of the day, but you know… they’re my family too.”

“I know,” Emily smiled, reaching out to hold his hand. “That’s why I don’t ask you to stay, so you don’t have to choose.”

Matt stared for a long time at their sleeping baby before quietly replying.

“I would choose you in a heartbeat,” He swallowed the lump on his throat, feeling terrible for admitting that out loud. “You know I would.”

Emily sighed.

“Of course I do,” She replied quietly. “But then you’d never forgive yourself if something were to happen them. I’ll never force you to pick a side, Matt. We’re all fighting in our own ways, as hard as we can. We’re all doing our best.”

“Next year this will all be over,” Matthew put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, careful so Mel wasn’t uncomfortable between their bodies. “This will all be a bad dream.”

“Please,” Emily blinked back the tears, “don’t give me hopes, Matt… I know you want it to be true, but please…”

“She’ll be safe,” He cleared his throat. “Mel will live through this, and she’ll grow. I promise you that.”

“What about you?”

“Me…” She couldn’t see his face, but she was almost certain Matt was crying. “Well, if I don’t make it, tell Harry he’s got my blessing to woo Mel all he wants.”

Emily laughed, it came out a bit drowned, but it still sounded like a happy one.

“I thought you didn’t want that for our girl?”

“It doesn’t matter what we think though, does it?” Matthew sigh. “They’ll grow up and eventually they’ll fall in love– whether if they fall for each other or a total stranger, that’s out of our control. Whatever happens, I hope she finds someone who will love her the way I love you.”

“I that case, I pity the kid that will have to endure that job,” Emily raised a brow, “they’ll have to chase her around for six years and then wait that one day, maybe, she’ll agree to date them.”

“Any Sultens girl is worth the wait,” Matthew squeezed her shoulder lightly, a loving gaze adorning his features.

“And any Dumbledore is worth the trouble,” Emily teased, then looked down at her daughter, who was peacefully sleeping beside her. “Happy Birthday, little one.”

Matthew brushed a loose strand of hair away from his daughter’s face and beamed at how tiny her hand look above his.

“Happy birthday, love.”


	3. Christmas, 1985

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uncle Lupin never thought this would be his life, but he's definitely not complaining.

Remus Lupin used to think his twenty-year-old self would live a quiet life. A lonely one, but happy nonetheless. He had no idea he would end up chasing after a five-year-old girl on Christmas morning.

"Mel!" He ran through the trees holding the little girl's hat. "Come back!"

The only reply he got was the child's cackles as she ran around the forest, probably running after a squirrel. Emily had trusted Remus with the little girl only because he'd assured her that he could handle it. It was clear that it had been a lie, with every passing year Mel seemed to gain more and more energy.

He heard a soft thud and rush over to the sound. Mel had fallen face-first next to a tree, probably tripped on its roots. 

"Oh, dear..." He picked her up right away and examined her face, she looked a bit disoriented, like she couldn't believe what had just happened. Remus frowned. "I told you not to run, Mel."

"But there was a bunny!" Mel's eyes widened in excitement. "A white one, uncle Lu!"

She had lots of trouble pronouncing _'Remus'_ , so she usually called him Lu. He didn't mind it.

"Well, of course," Remus's arms held her firmly as he carried her back to the house. "This is a forest. They live here. Now let the poor thing have a peaceful morning."

"But it's Christmas!"

"Exactly," Remus poked her side playfully. "You're a strange little thing. I never knew a kid that would rather go out and chase bunnies when she could be opening her presents in a warm room."

Mel giggled as a reply, wrapping her arms around his neck and happily letting him take her back to the house. Once there, Emily welcomed them with a warm plate of cookies and hot chocolate.

"What happened to you, you little devil?" Emily frowned in amusement.

"Alice tried to chase after a bunny but her legs are too small," Remus said, then smiled awkwardly. "Sorry. I tried to stop her but she's way too fast for a toddler."

"Tell me about it," Emily raised a brow. "Let's go wash your hands, Mely..."

The woman tried to grab the girl's hand but Mel ran back to Remus and hugged his leg tightly.

"I want my uncle Lu to help me!"

Emily crossed her arms and frowned. 

"Beg your pardon?"

Mel smiled apologetically and rephrased her demand.

"Uncle Lu, can you help me?"

"Gladly," Remus grinned, picking her up once more.

"You're spoiling that child, Moony!" Emily yelled as he took Mel to the sink.

He laughed. "Well, she's the only niece I'll ever have, I think I'm allowed to spoil her a bit."

"What's a spoil?" Mel asked as he scrubbed her palms.

"It means that I love you lots," Said Remus, kissing the top of her head.

Mel scrunched up her nose and giggled again, squirming away from his grasp as soon as she was done washing her hands. They sat around the table, Emily had to put a few cushions on Mel's chair so she could reach her plate. 

"Would you like to open your presents after breakfast?"

Mel nodded, stuffing her mouth with cookies.

"Ha' you open' you's?" She asked with her mouth full.

"Mel, don't be messy," Emily replied, cleaning her daughter's face. "No, I haven't. I was waiting for you two."

Remus stared at the two guests with a strange feeling creeping up his chest. Emily was pretty much the only family he had left, and he still couldn't believe that she wanted him to take part in Mel's life. Sure, he was her godfather, but it didn't mean he needed to be around. Still, Emily trusted him enough to be there during birthdays and holidays. That was more than he could've asked.

"Everything okay?" Emily inquired, nudging his leg.

"Hmm? Oh! Yes, I'm okay," He smiled. "I'll do the dishes, you take her to the living room."

"Noooo," Mel pouted. "I want you to see!"

"I'll see it in a moment," He replied, starting to pile up the dishes so he could take them.

"But I want you to see me!" She insisted.

"I'll do the dishes, you take her," Emily smirked, standing up beside him.

"Okay," Remus said, intrigued by the girl's choices.

Mel got up and grabbed his hand, dragging him back to the living room. Five minutes later they were seated on the rug, and the girl had several presents on her lap, ready to dig through them. There was a neatly wrapped present that had the initials _A.D._ on them, and Remus assumed that had to be from Dumbledore.

Emily sat next to the girl and helped her unwrap most of her presents, when they got to the one with the initials, she frowned.

"Is it from Dumbledore?" Remus asked.

"I don't know," She examined the wrapping. "Doesn't have a card, but it must be."

"Let me see!" The little girl said excitedly.

Emily handed her the package and Mel ripped the paper apart. Inside there was a small jumper, it looked slightly worn out. When Mel noticed it was a piece of clothing she lost interest right away and continued to open more presents, however, Emily picked it up as if it were made of silk.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"This jumper... it was Matthew's favourite when he was little– I saw a picture..." Emily picked up the card again and read the initials. "It's from Aberforth, it's gotta be."

Remus raised his eyebrows and stared at the jumper. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but it was quite surprising to get something from Aberforth himself, after all the years he'd spent avoiding the family. He'd only met Mel once, a day after her birth. He wondered if maybe Dumbledore had something to do with this.

Mel wasn't faced about it, she went through her presents and played all day with her mother and her uncle, although she continued to demand his attention more than Emily's. He was quite shocked about this but didn't comment on it until Emily brought it up once Mel was asleep on her bed.

"You must be feeling like quite the celebrity," She said. "You can tell she's become attached to you, I hope she doesn't suffer once we go back to Privet Drive."

"She's fond of me?" Remus asked shock.

It was a silly question, but he really couldn't understand why a toddler would find him interesting. Let alone one that was so energetic and sociable. In his opinion, he was too quiet and reserved, and yet, Mel would revolve around him with adoration.

"Well of course she's fond of you!" Emily replied. "She adores you, and she loves your house– She's quite fond of nature, you see..."

"I'll miss you two," Remus admitted after a moment. "The house gets awfully quiet when she's not here."

"Oh well, you know you're always welcome to visit anytime, it's not like we have anything else to do," Emily replied with irony.

"Dunno... I don't think I'm ready to see Harry," He confessed.

Emily tensed at the mention, but she nodded in understanding. 

"He's a lovely boy. Small, looks a lot like his father... but you already knew that."

"Mel and he still haven't met?"

"I don't let her leave the house. She's too young, you know..." Emily's face darkened. "I'm scared she'll have one of those bursts of magic kids her age usually have, and I don't want the other children to hurt her."

"You have your reasons," Remus admitted. "But perhaps if Harry and Mel meet..."

"What?" Emily huffed. "Listen, if they decide to be friends I won't stop them, but I won't push them together..." She shook her head. "It's hard. I wish I had a way to figure this out, I wish I had all the right answers, but I don't know how I'll feel if I ever see them in the same room, I don't know how I'll react." 

A sound of light footsteps caught their attention, both adults turned to look at the hall and found Mel's tiny figure approaching. She had a sleepy expression, and she was dragging her teddy bear.

"What's the matter, love?" Emily asked, immediately standing up.

"I had a nightmare," Mel's soft voice replied.

"Probably from all the food you had," The woman sighed. "I told you not to eat all those cookies..."

"I'll take her to bed," Remus stood up.

Emily turned to look at him and tried to refuse, but he shook his head. 

"You've had a long day, I can take her."

Without replying, Mel stretched out her arms towards Remus, silently asking him to carry her. Remus chuckled and obliged, once she was safely on his arms, he looked at his friend.

"It's okay," He assured her, "go to sleep."

Emily stared at them lovingly for a moment before nodding. Remus walked back to the room where Mel usually stay whenever they were visiting, and put her to bed.

"D'you want me to wait for you to fall asleep again?"

Mel nodded and yawned, already half-gone. She reached out and blindly looked for something until she came in contact with his hand. The little girl wrapped her chubby, little fingers around his thumb and squeezed, a small smile spreading across her face.

Remus missed his friends dearly, he would constantly think of them, and he would constantly feel miserable about it, still, whenever Mel was around, he couldn't help but feel somehow lucky.


	4. July 31st, 1988

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's first happy birthday (that he remembers).

Mel insisted so relentlessly that it felt like she and Harry had been friends for years instead of months. Technically, they’d been friends for _years_ , they just aren’t aware of it, they were babies when they stopped spending time together.

Yet, the kids only needed one afternoon to go back to their old ways. It was as if part of them knew they were meant to know each other.

The biggest obstacle turned out to be nonexistent when Emily heard Harry was free of any chores for the day. Apparently, the Dursleys were kind enough to not force Harry to make any work on his birthday, but they would still ignore him the whole day. When it comes to the Dursleys, that’s still a big accomplishment. 

_‘Harry’s going to grow older eventually, and we’ll be able to celebrate his birthday better,’_ She thought.

The first birthday Harry ever had, unable to leave his home, no presents or anything, was bitter to her memory. Not even one decent party for the boy in his life, Emily had to do something about it.

Mel was already halfway through her plan when she asked her mother for help. Luckily for her, it seemed like her daughter inherited a strong will and stubborn attitudes.

She’d done it right with that one. Mel was a kind soul, a bit rough around the edges like any kid, but she could see so much of Matt on her that she knew her daughter would be great no matter what.

Emily heard the little girl’s demands from outside the front door and chuckled, that was where her part of the equation had stuck. Mel could be bossy from time to time, too emotional, she’d been responsible of many mishaps at school thanks to her temper -and her magic, but it was too soon for Mel to know that.

“Hurry up, Harry!” Mel’s voice came a bit strangled, which was her way of holding back her excitement. The girl wasn’t the best liar, much like Matt when he was her age, but it was good, one thing she didn’t have to worry about, her daughter was an open book. There was no way that kid could hide things from her.

“M’going!” Harry responded. 

It was around one o’clock when Mel went to Harry’s house. They did their best to decorate properly and she was happy to admit they’d done a brilliant work. When he walked in, his expression was priceless.

“Happy birthday, kid!” Emily said cheerfully.

“I-” Harry turned scarlet, his eyes widening as he took it all in. “Is… all for… for…”

“It’s your birthday, isn’t it?” Mel asked, suddenly dubious. “I didn’t make a mistake did I?”

Emily knew she hadn’t, but how could she know that, if she’d _never_ talked to Harry before? She remained quiet, waiting for the boy to go back to his senses.

“It is,” Harry looked at her. “This is for me?”

“Yes?” Mel frowned. “It’s your birthday… you don’t like it?”

Harry then turned to Emily. He blinked and opened his mouth to talk, but nothing came out. Harry was the sweetest kid she’d ever met (if she didn’t count the time when she met Matt during their childhood), he was ever so polite and quiet, maybe the quiet part would worn out once he felt comfortable around them, but for the rest she was thankful Harry hadn’t adopted the Dursley’s way.

“He’s just overwhelmed, aren’t you Harry?” Emily asked kindly. “Would you like to sit down? We have lunch ready back in the kitchen…”

“Mum also rented movies for us,” Mel continued, this time in a softer tone. “Harry, please just say something…”

Harry’s eyes turned watery but he blinked it away, rubbing his nose with the back of his sleeve and shaking his head a little.

“I like it,” He said shortly, a shy smile coming to his face. “I don’t remember telling you about my birthday…”

“You did,” Mel’s smile widened at Harry’s approval. “Two months ago.”

“Well kid, my daughter worked hard for you to have a good time so we should start before the food gets cold, shall we?” Emily guided them towards the kitchen. “I’m sorry about not having a real present for you though, Mel said it was better this way, something about your cousin having a knack for breaking things that don’t belong to him?”

She looked over her shoulder and fixed her eyes on the boy’s glasses, broken at the bridge and poorly fixed with tape.

“That’s fine,” Harry examined the kitchen as he walked in, still blushing. “This is better than any present.”

“I made biscuits!” Mel said excitedly, she pushed the plate to Harry’s direction. “My mum taught me! I did it for you!” Emily laughed. 

“Don’t pressure the poor boy! Let him choose what he wants to eat first…”

“I can pick?”

“Well, it’s your birthday,” Emily smiled. “We made all food that we could. Is not much, but this will be a long day for you, boy.”

Harry grinned, his redness was finally wearing off as he reached for one biscuit.

* * *

Harry felt scared at first, he feared that this could all be a dream, that Mel and Emily hadn’t planned anything for him and he was still in his cupboard under the stairs. But as the afternoon went by and they watched _Beetlejuice_ and _Killer_ _Clowns_ _from_ _Outer_ _Space_ (Harry doubted they were allowed to watch those movies, but Emily seemed fine with it), he realized it was in fact happening, and he was having the best day of his life.

It was thanks to Mel, that funny little girl with a pretty smile and the big brown eyes that had a strange way to make him feel like she could read his thoughts. She’d planned a whole birthday just because he was her friend!

Harry never had a friend before. She didn’t care about Dudley or the other kids that would annoy them at school. She was just as odd as him, with the same bad luck of getting into strange problems.

He stammered _‘thank you’s’_ over and over again through the day to which Mel’s mother -who insisted to be called just plain and simple Emily- just brushed off like it was completely normal to throw a party at a stranger in a house he’d never been before. She also said it was the least they could do, given that they couldn’t buy an actual present for him. 

Harry couldn’t care less about any present, he was having his very first birthday party!

It was a really sad thing when night came and he had to go back to his house. He didn’t want to of course, but he _had_ to. Still, the whole day would remain as one of the best of his childhood, and for Harry, not many days could receive that treatment.

“…And for Christmas my mum and I visit my uncle’s house, but we could have a little Christmas in advance with you if you want, I know my mum would agree,” Mel continued, she’d been talking for the majority of the day. Harry didn’t mind, he liked listening to her.

“But I don’t have anything to give you for Christmas,” He replied simply. “I don’t have money.”

Mel stopped and looked at him like he’d gone crazy.

“You don’t have to bring anything,” She frowned. “Mum says that our house is our loved ones’ house as well. You’re my best friend, so this is your house too.”

Harry blushed again, it was hard not to, after all the attention he was getting, and definitely not after being called someone’s best friend.

“Could you teach me how to make biscuits then?” He asked a bit clumsily, not knowing what to say.

The girl’s eyes shone at the prospect.

“Oh, I’d love to!”

* * *

Emily watched their interactions from afar, trying to find the little things that could give away which relationship were those two more alike.

In the way Harry and Mel shared their food and talked quietly when she was around, Emily could see Lily and Matt. In their laughter and the shared jokes, she could see James and herself; but in the way they sat comfortably side by side, how Mel could just reach out and Harry would hand her the right snack without asking, _that_ had nothing to do with their families, it was something entirely theirs. No matter who the parents were, Harry and Mel were their own people.

Emily watched as Mel guided Harry to the front door and stood there for two whole minutes just talking and wishing each other a good night. Suddenly those two kids weren’t the shadows of Lily and James or Matthew and her, they were two kids that were more real than ever, and she had to take care of them with all her might, she couldn’t risk it. Not after all her friends had sacrificed for them.

_‘Three more years,’_ She told herself. 

“Goodbye, Glasses!” Mel had started to call Harry that way since day one. “Hope you had a good day!”

“Happy Birthday, Harry,” The woman said quietly, her mind many years back when they were a big family.


	5. 1994-1995

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's a soft dumbass when it comes to Mel

To be clear, Mel had no idea as to why Harry was such a fan of physical contact lately. Harry didn't know why he was acting like this either, but he didn't want to stop. He didn't know why his first reaction was to be constantly touching her, but he did know why was he doing it. Harry was gone over Mel. 

The exact date he realized something weird was going on was before the start of his second year. It was his birthday and for the first time in years, he'd been forced to spend it by himself. Mel had gone to the burrow and he was still waiting for his invitation. 

The funny part was that the thing that was upsetting him wasn't that he was alone, he could deal with that, his birthdays hadn't been something he would actively look forward to, but he was upset about the fact that Mel was having fun with other people. It sounded selfish, yes, but it also sounded completely true for his twelve-year-old self. Mel was having fun, and she probably didn't miss him. 

Then she arrived in the Ford Anglia with the rest of the Weasleys, and they wasted no time in telling Harry that she'd been the one who'd been nagging about checking and going to his rescue. The joy Harry felt when he found out Mel hadn't actually forgotten about him... that's when he knew something was up.

Now, Harry had always liked her a normal amount. She was his best friend, and he had the strange feeling she could read his thoughts as much as he could read hers. It was special, he didn't know what it was, but Harry was thankful that he could have her.

Then during their third-year things started to really get out of control. He was barely able to keep his mouth shut about Mel, and not only Ron, but Hermione was starting to notice too. Luckily for him, they never said a word to their friend, who seemed oblivious to it all.

Then fourth-year arrived, and Mel had grown. Not a lot when it came to height, but she was definitely different. It was the first time in a long time that her hair was reaching further down her shoulders, and she was still the same clumsy, impulsive girl from years back, but there was a different form to the way she would act around others. Even around him. 

By the time the Yule Ball arrived Harry had long ago accepted he had a crush, but he was bitter about it. Of course he fancied her, Mel was the prettiest girl in the whole school! And of course, he wasn't the only one who could tell, he would listen to older boys talking about her, or even Dean and Seamus whenever they thought Harry wasn't paying attention. It would make the monster in his stomach jump around and wish it could shut their mouths permanently.

And so this is why now, a few days after the Yule Ball, Harry finds himself making up excuses to hold her close. Thankfully Mel doesn't mind, she's always been okay with physical contact, as children she used to be the one to hug him all the time, she'd stopped doing that this year, and he was wondering if it was because of something he'd said.

Mel was sitting in front of the fireplace, snuggled up with Grey beside her, she was playing with the cat, a soft smile brightening her entire face. Harry approached and sat beside her, he yawned and stretched. With his heart pounding against his ribcage he tried his best to look casual as he shifted and placed his head on her lap. Mel stopped all her movements.

"...Hi?" She replied, her voice trembling with nervous laughter.

"Hi," He tilted his head and looked up to her. "How's your day going?"

"Uneventful," She sighed, her attention now completely on him. "Are you tired?" Mel grinned.

"Exhausted," Harry smiled. "Mind if I take a nap?"

"Oh no, I'd hate to disrupt the champion's peace," Mel joked. "Please do use me as a pillow, not that I mind or anything."

"That's very kind of you."

"But just so you know, if my legs start to go numb I'll throw you out of the couch."

Harry frowned. 

"You wouldn't."

"I guess we have to wait and see," Mel smiled softly at him, and before he could reply, her hand ran through his hair in such a gentle form that Harry had a wave of goosebumps running all the way down his spine.

He squirmed a bit and blushed, hoping she hadn't noticed his reaction. 

"You know," She continued, "I was reading the other day about magical inventions of the twentieth century, because of Erick's grandfather and all... but I ended up discovering something you might like to hear."

"What thing?"

"Did you know your money comes from your grandfather because he invented a hair potion?"

"What?" Harry laughed. "How d'you know that?"

"It was in this book I borrowed from the library months ago," She grinned. "I completely forgot to tell you about it until now, because the tournament took all my attention..."

"A hair potion? Really? What for?"

"Oh, you'll love this," She smirked. "It was a potion to _'tame even the most bothersome types of hair'_ – I reckon you could use a bit of that, don't you think? Maybe they'll make you a discount, given that your Fleamont's grandson?"

"Fleamont?" Harry asked in shock. "That was his name?"

"Yeah, and his wife's name was Euphemia," Mel nodded, still playing with his hair. "Fancy names, they do sound like rich people."

Harry sat up again and beamed at Mel, it was one of those moments when he simply couldn't help himself. She was too good for him.

"Thank you for telling me that," He replied.

"It's not a big deal, Glasses," The girl snorted. "I mean, you would've found out eventually..."

"Yeah, but it feels good when I hear it from someone close instead of a stranger," He reached out to hold her hand. "So thank you."

Mel blushed, Harry discovered days before that he loved getting that reaction from her. He'd constantly try to make her blush, he thought that since she had the power to make an idiot out of him without trying, he was allowed to make her flustered from time to time.

The twins entered the common room and Mel jumped a bit, breaking contact with Harry. The boy suppressed a scoff and waved at the twins without much enthusiasm. He didn't know how Mel felt about the twins, but the twins certainly enjoyed flirting with her at all times, and the way she would try to keep her distance when they were around told him there was a chance that she was interested in them.

But Harry wasn't planning on making things easier.

He bid his time, they went to have dinner with their friends and once back in the common room he convinced her to stay and talked for a bit longer. At this point, Ron and Hermione could pick up on Harry's actions and know when they were supposed to leave them alone. Not that Harry was discrete anyway. Really, it was a miracle how Mel had no clue of what was going on.

"I know you found the information about my Grandad on accident, but have you tried to find things about your grandparents?"

Mel tensed at the mention, but almost immediately she smiled.

"Oh well, there's not much to read. They weren't especially wealthy– they weren't wealthy at all, my uncle was the first to start getting large amounts of money, but money's not important... Oh! I did ask my uncle about my great-grandmother and it turns out she was muggle-born! I don't know why, but I find that really exciting."

"So you're halfblood, like me," He smiled. "More things to have in common, then."

"Like we need more," She grinned. "My grandad's still alive, though I've never met him, and I don't think he wants to meet me... I don't know, I asked my uncle, he says that it's hard on him because he lost his wife and his son, but others tell me he never really loved my dad so... so maybe Dumbledore is telling me that so I don't feel bad about him not wanting to meet me."

Harry's stomach churned in annoyance. How could anyone not want to meet her? How could anyone prefer to keep their distance?

"Well, if that's true he's an idiot," He blurted out. His face turned red when he realized what he'd said. "I–I mean–"

Mel laughed, patting his hand softly. 

"I... I also think he's a bit of an idiot."

Mel yawned, pushing a loose strand of hair away and rubbing her eyes. Harry's heart went crazy at the sight, she had to stop doing this, it was unfair and slowly killing him.

"I think we should go to bed," He admitted after a moment. 

"Yeah, reckon so..." She replied.

They got up at the same time, and in a wild burst of courage, he reached for her and placed a kiss on her cheek. Mel froze, staring at him with a dumbfounded expression.

"Goodnight, Mellow," He let out hurriedly, if he were to stay and stare at her any longer he would end up kissing her for real in front of everyone. 

He heard Fred and George along with Lee whistling and teasing them from a corner of the room, Harry lowered his head and walked away, unable to hide the wide grin on his face.

He didn't know how, but he'd end up dating Mel one day, and that was a promise.

_One day._


	6. Summer, 1995

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Denial is their new mantra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This could've been at the start of book 5, but the chapter's already too long so I figured I could leave you with this little scene as a way to show you what's coming, and as you can see, it will hurt -Danny

Harry watched silently from his room as Mel and Emily slowly carried things from the house to their car. He was trying to gather the courage to go out and talk to them because he didn't know how long would it be before seeing them again, but there was something stopping him.

Well, many things were stopping him, really. The first one being shame. He couldn't just force Mel to talk to him after the things he'd said. It was cruel, and he knew she'd been hurt enough already. 

The second was that he didn't want to know anything about their plans. Surely it'd be like every other year, Mel would go to Lupin's house and forget all about the third task if she was lucky. Then she'd go to the Burrow and forget Harry. Which was exactly what he wanted.

He wanted her to forget that he was there because then maybe she'd get the chance to do what he couldn't, and she'd be able to stop having nightmares. 

Harry's never been a fan of summer, but at least he'd learned to appreciate the little things in it. Now once again he had nothing to look forward to, all the good things about Privet Drive had to do with Mel, and now she hated him. 

Harry dragged himself away from the window. He got to the first floor with slow, tired steps. He hadn't slept much the night before, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with his uncle, so he went to the garden. To his luck, Emily was passing by the fence then, and she stopped when she saw him.

"Harry!" She smiled, leaning on the small division and drying the sweat from her forehead. "All right, kid?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but he saw something move out of the corner of his eye and stopped. Mel came into view holding her trunk.

"Mum, if you could help out your daughter by using a bit of magic I would appreciate tha–" She froze, looking at Harry. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay," Emily grabbed the trunk and carried it. "I'll take this, you can take a break."

"I don't..." Mel started, but her voice died down as her mother walked away, "...need a break."

Harry's heart plummeted, he ran a hand through his hair tensely and looked everywhere but her, fighting to find a proper excuse.

"You're leaving," He said stupidly.

Mel's gaze fixed on him. He felt terribly uncomfortable, that _'Dumbledore look'_ never failed to make him feel like he was being examined to the depts of his soul. Eventually, she broke eye contact and shrugged, her face completely neutral.

"Mum says we'll be of use somewhere else. I don't know exactly what her plans are, but I believe she's right. We're not needed here."

The way she said the last part was clearly directed to him, but he didn't have the courage to argue or say otherwise. He didn't want to correct her, it was better this way. Easier.

He had to sacrifice the best thing he'd ever had in order to keep it safe. Even if it meant losing his best friend.

Besides, Mel surely was scared, she had to be, having a person stealing her life just like that had to be terrifying. He didn't want to do that to her, and he didn't want her to pretend she was okay with it. It was unfair, having her risk everything just to give him a chance.

"I won't see you soon, I guess," The boy replied lowly.

"No. But that's what you wanted, right?" She replied harshly. "I hope you enjoy the long break away from my nonsense."

"I never– I didn't say–" Harry stammered, but Mel scoffed with impatience. 

"Listen, I don't have time to argue," She stepped back, eyeing him up. "Just... pretend we said our goodbyes and all, I don't want my mum to worry."

She left him with a bitter taste on his tongue. She'd never treated him like that, but he had it coming, he'd finally reached her limit.

"Oi, Harry!" Emily called from the front entrance. 

Harry approached, eager to feel a bit of the old routine.

"You need help?"

"No, just wanted to take a good look at you before leaving," She cupped his face in a motherly way and examined him carefully. "Now, just because we're not here doesn't mean you won't be able to reach us. Please write if anything happens, all right?"

Harry gave her a small smile. 

"Yeah, okay."

"We'll miss you lots, but I promise we'll see you before the summer ends," Emily pulled him close and hugged him tightly. "Look after yourself, boy."

A lump formed on his throat, Harry held onto the woman tighter, closing his eyes in an attempt to keep himself under control.

A door slammed behind them and Harry jumped away from Emily's grip, Mel was now inside the car holding Grey's basket and looking at the opposite side of the street with a scowl. Emily sighed. 

"She said she was okay with us leaving, but she must upset about not being able to take you with us," She shook her head. 

Harry knew that wasn't the problem, but just like Mel, he didn't want Emily to worry.

"I promise I'll write," He replied. "She'll get better, she always does."

"Yeah, just needs to get used to it and before I know it she'll be walking around the house lighting up every room with her energy," The woman grinned. "Well... see you later, Harry. We'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Harry replied, though he wasn't sure he meant both of them when he said it.

He convinced himself of one thing. He would not think about her this summer, he would ignore as best as he could that she was even a real person, that all those months with her had been a dream, and now he was finally waking up. He was allowed to miss the Sultens, but he refused to feel anything in particular for Mel.


End file.
